Innsbruck to Bolzano

Bike Tirol along the Àdige River!

Innsbruck is the capital of the Tirol region and a place embraced by the snowcapped peaks of the Alps. As you cycle in Innsbruck, along the cobblestone streets in the Altstadt (Old Town), you will come across magnificent Gothic architecture as well as Innsbruck’s most famous landmark, the Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof). Your Tirol bike tour will be highlighted with quaint old villages, old aristocratic houses and castles, fortress ruins, lakes and famous churches, including a Baroque Cistercian convent and the St. Prokulus Church housing the oldest frescos in the German-speaking area. Cycle the cozy town of Meran which offers exquisite views of the surrounding mountains and valleys and allows for several excursions, including one on the famous Trappeinerweg. It also offers some marvelous shopping. The numerous vineyards and orchards in the Àdige Valley will make for some wonderful stops. The beautiful flat landscape will continue past shimmering lakes, including the Montiggler Lakes, before you find yourself in Bolzano, one of Italy's beloved cities that is also famous for its spa resorts.

Recommended

Remarks

Tour Dates

2019 DatesArrival possible every Saturday and Wednesday between April 27 to October 5, 2019

Season 1: April 27 to May 10 and September 28 to October 5Season 2: May 11 to June 21 and September 7 to September 27Season 3: June 22 to September 6*Special dates on request

Skill Level

This self-guided tour is considered moderate with daily distances between 22 to 40 miles per day; and a total of 186 miles over 6 cycling days. Routes include flat terrain and rolling hills, some steep. Between the Resia Pass and Bolzano, there’s more than 1200 m difference in altitude.

DAY 1: Arrival in InnsbruckFollowing your arrival in Innsbruck by 6 pm, there is an introductory presentation and the bikes will be distributed. Feel free to explore and bike Innsbruck: highlights include the town tower and the Goldenes Dachl. Built in 1500, this roof was built for Maximilian I, the Holy Roman Emperor, and is covered with 3000 gold-plated copper tiles. The balcony once served as Maximilian’s "ringside seat" during festive events in the square below.

DAY 2: Innsbruck - Imst, 41 mi. (65 km)On the former Treidelweg (Treidel Path), you will travel along the Inn River through many small villages and then cycle through Stams, where there is a Baroque Cisterian Convent and convent museum. The evening destination is the town of Imst. Highlights of today's tour include several nice churches, old aristocratic houses, and fortress ruins.

DAY 3: Imst - Mals/Burgeis, 31 mi. (50 km) with 25 mi. (40 km) by busToday your Tirol tour will begin along the River Inn and pass the Kloster Zams monastery en route to Landeck. From here, there is a bus transfer to Nauders where you will begin a 100 m climb up to Reschenpaß/Resia Pass before cycling downhill to Reschensee, or Resia Lake. From there, the route takes you along side paths to Malles Venosta, where the town center has many towers, or to Burgeis at the foot of the fortress of Marienburg.

DAY 4: Mals/Burgeis - Merano, 41 mi. (65 km)The first part of the day includes a cycle tour to Glurns with its fully preserved medieval city walls. Then, over the Montani ruins, the discovery site of the Nibelungen manuscript, through Schlanders/Silandro, and past the church of St. Prokulus, which houses the oldest frescos in the German-speaking area. Then, it is downhill to Merano, where many fortresses and castles, such as the Reinhold Messner Castle Juval, can be found along the way.

DAY 5: Passeiertal (valley)/Merano, 25 mi. (40 km)Today, you have the option of making a bike trip to Passeiertal to the Sandwirt, the birthplace of Andreas Hofer, to wander on the famous Trappeinerweg path, or you may go on a shopping trip under the bowers of Merano.

DAY 6: Merano - Auer, 31 mi. (50 km)Today's stage will take you via Lana (Schnatterpeck Altar) and through numerous orchards and vineyards in the area of the S. Tyrolean Wine road, past many fortresses, castles, and ruins such as Hocheppan (famous frescos), as well as the Cathedral in the Country in St. Pauls to Lake Kalterersee. You usually spend the night in the cozy wine town of Auer.

DAY 7: Auer - Bolzano, 22 mi. (35 km)Today is an option to choose a flat route through the Àdige Valley or with a beautiful landscape and an ascent, you can cycle through the Montiggler Lakes and pass the Ruin Sigmundskron into Bolzano.

DAY 8: DepartureBike tour in Italy will end with departure from Bolzano following breakfast.

Customer Feedback

Barry N.7 months ago

It’s quite difficult to review this trip as there were many great experiences like the scenery after we escaped the narrow valley from Innsbruck to about Imst but there were some cons. In the beginning of the trip we felt the cycle path, even though fantastic to have, was often too close to the railway or an autobahn (and the associated noise) to make for wonderful riding. The hotels and half board were mostly good but some noisy and the one in Imst not only noisy but also the food was definitely (for half board), poor. Some hotels were standouts - the small excellent hotel in Mals and the food in the hotel in Meran. The guides were not accurate with addendums with corrections and GPS (as per our previous bike trip) would have been better.

We really loved our ride from Innsbruck to Bolzano. The scenery through Austria was breathtaking and the hotel accommodation was excellent. We have not stopped telling our friends what an amazing time we had, all thanks to Tripsite.

We recently completed the Innsbruck to Bolzano bike tour and it was incredible. The scenery along the route was spectacular! The difficulty of the trails was reasonable with very little vehicular traffic except in the towns. The hotels were also very nice and well located. The only exception was Hotel Chrys in Bolzano. the hotel was rather dated and it was quite a distance from the center of town. However, the incredibly helpful staff at the Chrys made up for its less than ideal location. I would highly recommend this tour and would love to do it again one day. Biking allowed us to see areas and small towns we never would have visited if we were travelling via car or train.

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